Friday, November 30, 2007

PETALING JAYA: Organisers of the recent illegal gatherings were offered stadiums and other alternative venues to hold peaceful demonstrations but they rejected them. “The organisers were adamant to hold them in the city streets,” said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan who revealed why the police rejected permit applications by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) for their gathering last Sunday and the Bersih coalition (on Nov 10). He said police investigations into the groups’ activities found that public security and peace could be threatened. “We cover their meetings and gather information. “If we find their activities could be critical to public order we won’t approve them,” he said during question time at his talk on Democracy, Law Enforcement and Security: Perspective from the Royal Malaysia Police at the University of Wales Aberystwyth Alumni Club of Malaysia dinner here on Wednesday. Musa said the demonstrators wanted to be in the streets because “they want onlookers to join them”. “But not everyone likes demonstrations. When they gather in large numbers, they scare people and shops will close. “They shout slogans that make people angry. They call the police ‘dogs’ but we keep a deaf ear.” Musa said the police had no problems allowing peaceful gatherings. “For example, we allow unions gathering to protest about their salaries.” The Hindraf gathering was to submit a memorandum to the British High Commission in relation to a class-action suit they had filed against the British Government for bringing in Indians to pre-independence Malaya as indentured labourers. The Bersih gathering called for clean elections and submitted a memorandum to the Yang di Pertuan Agong. Musa said prior to the Hindraf gathering, the organisers had gone to Penang and other parts of the country where they made fiery speeches. “If the authorities allowed Hindraf to go out in the streets to voice their dissatisfaction, others will make claims too. “The Malays will say they had a good life during the Malacca Sultanate and you (the British) destroyed it ... and it will go on and on,” the IGP said. “When the police wanted to speak to the leaders of the Sunday gathering, they were no where to be found. They only came at 1.30pm. “We offered to escort them to the high commission but they said they did not want. They said they wanted to send the memorandum to the Queen, instead,” he said. On Bersih, Musa said: “We gave them an alternative venue but they insisted on gathering in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. “They are stubborn and that is the problem. We said they need not gather 20,000 or 40,000 people to submit a memorandum to the King and offered to escort them,” he said. Musa added that the police were still waiting for the Attorney-General’s Chambers to decide whether those arrested in the Bersih-organised gathering would be charged in court.

tunku : this people just want to create havoc in this country. next time apply permit to hold gathering in stadiums not on the streets.even if you do it in the stadiums the media will cover it especially the foreign media.be wise and don't put our life in miserable by doing rallies on the streets.you people tarnish the image of our country especially when we are campaigning for "visit malaysia year". tourist are not coming here to see you people rioting on the streets.IGP had said it, so please do it in a stadium, the the police can't say that they can't give permit.

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC will set up a hotline as soon as possible to handle all problems faced by the Indian community, its president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said. He said that after meeting the Prime Minister on Wednesday, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had also asked MIC to set up a special committee to analyse and address socio-economic problems faced by the Indian community. “We expect calls on problems on Tamil schools and Hindu temples. Other problems can also be channelled to the hotline,” he told reporters after chairing the party’s central working committee meeting here yesterday. Samy Vellu said the problems would be referred to party leaders according to their portfolios. He said the telephone and contact numbers of the hotline would be published in the local newspapers as soon as it was set up. “When there are problems which need to be brought to the attention of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, I will bring it up with them,” he said. Samy Vellu said that he had also received hundreds of SMS on his handphone after certain quarters distributed his numbers and those of MIC leaders. “While many were genuine, some were crank ones.” Samy Vellu said Abdullah wanted the committee to submit a detailed report on all the demands of the Indian community so that they could be evaluated. He stressed that the committee was a result of a report submitted by the party to Abdullah in June. The report is entitled “A New Mechanism for the Indian Community”. Asked if all these measures were due to the Hindraf protest last Sunday, he said MIC had always submitted a report to the Prime Minister every six months. He said Abdullah was very sympathetic to the plight of the community and the Prime Minister had promised to study the report. Saying that Abdullah asked the special committee to come up with more proposals, Samy Vellu said among the new proposals would be to provide the number of non-bumiputras serving in the civil sector, their ranks and also the number of vacancies available at both the federal and state levels. The Works Minister said that whenever the party did something for the Indian community, it did not seek publicity. He refused to comment on the fate of Cameron Highlands MP K. Devamany on remarks the latter made on the woes of the Indian community in the Parliament sitting on Monday. “I do not want to comment on the issue as he is supposed to meet Barisan Nasional Chief Whip and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak to explain his remarks.” tunku : hindraf, there you go, you got a channel to complaint anything you want to, so please stop using the streets.

PUTRAJAYA: People have been urged not to blame the Indian community for the illegal gathering organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) last Sunday. Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, who is the Education Minister, said Hindraf did not represent many Indians.“Our enemies are not the Indians, so everyone must remain rational,” he said after chairing his ministry's post-Cabinet meeting here yesterday. The majority of Indians love the country and want stability, he added. He urged Hindraf not to play with fire. “Who in their right mind would accuse us of demolishing a temple every three weeks or say there is ethnic cleansing.” Meanwhile, in Sungai Petani, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Datuk Johari Baharom said the Government planned to seek compensation from Hindraf and those involved in the recent illegal gathering for damage to public property. In CAIRO, Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin said several groups of students who met him expressed their anger over Hindraf leaders’ move to ask Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II to intervene in Malaysia’s internal affairs. He said they were angry that Hindraf had ignored the Yang di- Pertuan Agong in highlighting the problems faced by the Indian community in Malaysia.

(AFP)--The U.S. underscored Wednesday the rights of Malaysians to hold peaceful protests, after Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's government swiftly suppressed mass rallies and threatened to use a draconian law to detain protesters indefinitely without trial."We believe citizens of any country should be allowed to peacefully assemble and express their views," a U.S. State Department official said when commenting on the crackdown of unprecedented street protests in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur this month.One called for electoral reform which drew some 30,000 people, and another by at least 8,000 ethnic Indians last Sunday was aimed at highlighting racial discrimination.The rallies were the biggest in a decade and took place despite bans ordered by police, who broke up the gatherings with tear gas, water cannons and baton charges.The U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not go beyond his succinct statement, which was the first reaction by Washington on the rare outpouring of anti-government dissent in Malaysia.The protests led to a veiled threat by Abdullah on Tuesday to use the controversial Internal Security Act that allows for detention without trial to stem the dissent. U.S. intelligence consultancy Stratfor, in a bulletin to clients this week, said the Malaysian demonstrations signaled "instability" ahead of national elections expected early next year."The recent demonstrations signal chaos and unpredictability to come before elections are announced, but Badawi's grip on internal security is not going to loosen any time soon," it said.

tunku : well nazri, what are you waiting for, tell them off too, you were like a hero with tamil nadu'cm,what about uncle sam? let us see whether you have the guts or not.on the other issue, zainudin maidin had said it earlier during the bersih rally when he was interviewed by al jazeera, and today you said the same thing again during your press conference that malaysia is not like myanmar,thailand or pakistan,we are more democratic bla bla bla. yes we know that we are more democratic compared to them but how could you ministers can say such thing to other countries?have they said anything bad about us? i guess not,so please stop mentioning names next time.you can just say that some countries, not mentioning which country.i hope the pm will send this two ministers for a diplomacy course.

The Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) urges Malaysians of all races and religions to remain calm following street protests by a group Indian Malaysians led by Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) on Sunday.

ABIM notes with deep concern that some of the actions and contents of various documents issued by HINDRAF, in substance and wordings constitute extreme, exagerated and sensationalised allegations implicating the Muslim community in one way or another. The use of terms and expressions such as “ethnic cleansing”, “permanent colonization” of Indian Malaysians by ” Islamic extremists” “Malay gangs” and the like is clearly racially and religiously unjustified, seditious and borders on the subversive.

However, we believe that this should not be the basis for any unwarranted reactions from the Muslim community. We believe that although there may be grievances amongst the Indian community, the majority of our peace-loving Indian friends and mainstream Hindu organizations do not harbor ill will or undue enmity against the Muslims and are also not agreeable to the manner, style and approach erstwhile adopted by HINDRAF. We would also like to reaffirm our solidarity with the poor and marginalized amongst the Indian community and other races in this country and urge the government and all parties to undertake continuous effort to improve their livelihood.

Let us all be reminded that issues involving racial and religious interests in our multi-communal society are very delicate, sensitive and potentially explosive. Those who are fighting for racial and religious interests should learn from our past history that such issues, if not carefully handled, may cause tensions to flare up. When emotions are left unchecked and the communal temperature is too high, there’s no guarantee that public order and safety can be maintained.

ABIM condemns all forms of racial and and religious extremism and urges peace-loving Malaysians not to take actions that may jeopardize peace, harmony, public order and safety in the country. Although the freedom of assembly and expression are recognised fundamental rights under our Constitution and should generally be exercisable by all citizens, the relevant authorities should be allowed to regulate the exercise of such rights taking into account the circumstances of each case. At the same time we urge the police to observe due restraint and be reasonable in exercising their discretion in handling the situation. We also believe that the current situation is such that it is very irresponsible and dangerous for anyone to manipulate this issue to fan racial sentiments for any political or ulterior agendas.

I was among the lucky few who could choose to continue living with dignity. I made the decision to stop being a racial slave in that environment. I pity my ex-colleagues who had to continue being oppressed in an organisation which is really a tributary of the grave racial and discriminatory situation in Malaysia.

I am a Malay. I do not support Umno. I think Umno is a corrupt, selfish, boastful thief of the nation's wealth. Name all the bad character traits - Umno has it. I fully support the Bersih demonstrations although I did not participate in it. Why do I support it? Because they were fighting for free and clean elections, the basis of democracy. People of all races participated although though the presence of some races was more than the others.

But I do not support the Hindraf rally. Why? Because to me, it is racialist in nature and in its intentions. It is for the Indian cause only. I have the impression that they want to tell the world that the Indians in Malaysia are in a very bad situation and are marginalised by the Malays since the country's independence 50 years ago.

They blamed the then British government for bringing their ancestors here. To me, if they want to blame the British for their current situation, (if there is a situation at all) they should conduct the demonstration in the United Kingdom, not here and see how they fare.

To me, the Indians that came here under British sponsorship were the lucky ones because they could get work and income better than what they would have had in India. Otherwise, they certainly would not have come. Had their forefathers not elected to seek a new life here, all or most of the Indians here could today be ***** there.

Their claim for trillions of dollars is laughable. It is unreal. Assuming they win the case with the British, where will the British government get money to pay them? Surely they will get money from the population by taxing them more. What do you think will happen then? Certainly there will be a big revolution over there. Do you think they will want to be burdened by this stupid thing? And who will suffer? The Indians in the UK. They will claim that they are not Indians and they will blame their race here in Malaysia for creating all the trouble.

Analysing the points above, the intention of the demonstration, to me, is purely racial and that is very dangerous. Stop it before the real trouble starts, when everybody will regret and it is too late. Use your head and not your emotions.

I recently met a person from that region during a trip to the UK. He asked me where I am from. I replied that I am from Malaysia. Do you know what he said? “I wish I am Malaysian. It is heaven on earth.”

Thursday, November 29, 2007

The Indian protest in Kuala Lumpur has been a great success because it made a very loud noise. But the Indian protesters forgot to shout Daulat Tuanku. Instead they showed allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II by carrying placards that had Queen Elizabeth’s picture. Others also carried pictures of Mahatma Ghandi.

According to the NST, Hindraf legal adviser P. Uthayakumar said that they would 'get a second bite at the cherry' when they go to London in mid-January to present a memorandum to the Queen of England. But the Queen is reported to suffer constipation and some flatulence during cold winter months like January – a predicament inherited from her ancestors who avoided the privy in winter because they had no internal plumbing. She may not be disposed to receive Uthayakumar. But there is some confusion. The NST reports: "We don't want to rely on Indian-based parties anymore. We want to go directly to UMNO because it is they who hold power," said the lawyer who was in the midst of the illegal gathering yesterday. So is it Queen Elizabeth or UMNO? Unfortunately for the Indian community, all roads to UMNO go through Samy Vellu’s office.

This appeal to Queen Elizabeth and Mahatma Ghandi is a mistake. The banners scream 'We are Malaysians'. To the other Malaysians, it seems to be that the protesters are Indian Hindus first and Malaysians second. The ethnic, religious identity is pushed forward. The name ‘Hindraf’ is also exclusive. It excludes Indians who are Christians, Sikhs and Muslims.

Why call it Hindu Rights Action Front? Why not just Indian Rights Action Front (INDRAF)? Why associate with religion? This is what some NGOs said - the Hindu Indians are making a mistake of projecting a narrow Hindu image.

However, the grievances and the protest by the Indian Hindus is real and justified.The BN Gomen's failure to uplift the Indians is real. It is a big failure. The BN Gomen does not really care for them. UMNO says they want to be the payung for all Malaysians. This is a lie. They are the least bothered about the fate of the Indians. Uthayakumar’s idea that he wants to go directly to UMNO may earn him a Datukship, but the Indians will not get anything else.

Hindu Tamils are now treated like fourth class citizens by the BN Gomen. Parties like MIC and PPP just get by on handouts for their community. The Tamils can be ignored by the UMNO boys. Why should the UMNO boys respect the Indians? While the Hindraf was protesting on Jalan Ampang, Nallakaruppan was hosting the founding of his new Indian political party called Malaysian Indian United Party (or Muniandy) at the Istana Hotel. In his speech, Nallakaruppan pledged allegiance to the BN. He said that the Muniandy party would support all the BN’s policies. Just a few months ago he was dancing on stage with Anwar Ibrahim in Ijok, hoping to be Keadilan’s candidate against the BN at the by-election. But since Anwar dropped him in favour of a Malay, Nallakaruppan is now dancing to the UMNO-BN tune.

The Indians cannot depend on the BN Gomen or anyone else to uplift them. They have no choice but to uplift themselves. Like the Chinese, any community (including the Malays) that does not depend on the BN Gomen will become richer and more successful. This is because the BN Gomen itself does not have any idea how to uplift the people. This is a Gomen that is groping in the dark. The blind cannot lead anyone to light. They cannot see.

Historically, the majority of Indians came here as very poor people. But the Indians in India and Malaysia are not one uniform body. Indians are a small minority in Malaysia – making up less than 10% of the population. Numerically they are becoming even more irrelevant.

But this small minority is divided into so many sub-minorities almost all of whom are far richer and better off than the Tamil Hindus – the largest Indian group who were also the people protesting on Sunday. The Sindhi and Gujerati Hindus are business oriented. They may not even acknowledge that Tamil Hindus are human. In their belief the Tamils are children of Hanuman, the dark-skinned monkey god who helped their white-skinned god Ram rescue their white-skinned princess Sita Devi from the clutches of the dark-skinned Ravan.

Then we have the Ceylon Tamils. An irate Indian Tamil woman once said that the Ceylon Tamils in Malaysia are ashamed to say that they are also Indians or Tamils. So in official application forms where they must state their race, they put themselves under ‘Lain-Lain’ or Others, not as Indians. Few people may be aware of this but the Ceylon Tamils are by far the most successful racial group in Malaysia, whose per capita incomes may be higher than the Chinese, Gujeratis, Mamaks, etc. There are more millionaires per thousand people among Ceylon Tamils than any other race in Malaysia. The richest man in Malaysia is a Ceylon Tamil billionaire known as Ananda Krishnan.

There are the Sikhs who have their own axes to grind against the Hindus. The Sikhs have also done very well in Malaysia. They may have started as jagas and susu lembu sellers but now they are among the best doctors and lawyers in the country. Money lending is still their forte. In a nutshell, they are doing much better than the Tamil Hindus.

Then there are the RSS sympathizers in Malaysia. RSS stands for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Nathuram Vinayak Godse, the Hindu extremist who murdered Mahatma Ghandi in 1948, was a member of the RSS. The RSS in India is led by Brahmins whose main purpose is to preserve the Hindu caste system and thereby preserve their positions. They do not look kindly at Mahatma Ghandi and none of them will have a picture of Ghandi in their homes, let alone hoist Ghandi’s picture at a public rally.

There is very little love lost between all these Indians. There are extremely very few intra-Hindu Indian marriages. It is almost impossible to see a Ceylon Hindu marry an Indian Hindu or a Gujerati marry a Telugu. You will not find any of the RSS Brahmins marrying any of the Hindraf people. It just does not happen. On the other hand, in Malaysia, there are thousands of marriages between Malays and Indians of all types and castes. This Sunday, 9th December, a extraordinarily beautiful and quite rich Malay woman is marrying a Hindu Tamil (who of course had to convert). The wedding will be held at a major hotel and will be reported in the Malay media. The Indian media will never cover such an event.

The RSS sympathizers did not support the Hindraf protest. Instead, they released a statement to the media that said: “the MIC and the Government had helped to fund, build, repair as well as settle relocation and land issues for temples nationwide.” In other words: what is there to complain about? There are enough temples. Caste and inter-Indian race differences are great. The discrimination and prejudices within the Indians is greater than from without. But that does not really affect the bread and butter issues that were the main reason for the protest on Sunday.

It is also mind-boggling that many Hindu success stories have come to a tragic end through outright murder. All too often Indians suffer violence at the hands of fellow Indians. This is not unlike the case with the African Americans and Mexican Americans who suffer tragic violence at the hands of their own people.

In Penang recently, a well known and very senior Tamil Hindu lawyer by the name of Annamalai was brutally stabbed to death by two Indians, most likely hired killers, in broad daylight. I knew Mr Annamalai who was over 60 years old and was a polite and gentle man. The killers have not been caught and neither is the motive known. A few years ago, a young Hindu woman who owned three beauty salons in Klang was also brutally murdered by Indians. After being beaten and stabbed, her body was repeatedly run over by her own Pajero. The crazed intensity of the violence against her was unimaginable. Again, her killers were not found and neither was the reason for her murder known. Earlier to that, a young Tamil Hindu geologist who ran a very succesful geological services company in Bukit Mertajam was killed by Indians. His head was cracked open by an axe. His killers were never caught and neither was the reason for his murder known.

These were among the cream of their society in their own neighbourhoods - Indians who had come up in life through hard work and against much odds. They all suffered violent death at the hands of Indians. It could be any number of reasons why they were killed but often it is pure jealousy by Indians against fellow Indians. It is okay if a Chinese or Malay is succesful, but when an Indian makes good, any number of other Indians may become extremely jealous. And if there is even a hint of an insult or injury, real or imagined, it may be enough to trigger murderous action. So the Indians do not need extra enemies from outside to keep them down. They can be their own worst enemies.

First of all, the Indians must realise that holding up posters of Ghandi or Queen Elizabeth is brain dead. It would have been better if they held up posters of the great Tamil hero Veerapandian Kattaboman. But since no one knows what Veerapandian Kattaboman looked like, they could have even held up posters of the great Tamil movie hero MG Ramachandran or MGR who once portrayed Veerapandian Kattaboman in a Tamil movie. But why Ghandi and why on earth Queen Elizabeth II? This only proves that the Indian Tamils may have their feet planted here, but not all their thoughts are fully settled here.

The time for pussyfooting and endless talk is over. Indians must 'bite the bullet' and take decisive and practical action to help themselves. Since all the protests have been made, it is now up to the Indians to put forward what they really want to do.

Do not expect the Barisan Nasional or the UMNO boys to help you. They do not even know how to help themselves. After 50 years they do not even realize the main problem that is holding the Malays down – their religion and their total disregard of the English language. So how are they going to figure out what are the real issues facing the Indians? Even if they want to help the Indians they will not know what to do.

Some simple-minded Indians have suggested that the Indians be exempted from all university racial quotas. This is a beginning but it does not solve the problem of the poor Tamils in the estates and the rural areas. The MIC has set up the Tafe College, taken over private law and accounting colleges (Vanto Academy) and set up medical schools yet the plight of the Tamil Hindus in the estates and rural areas has not changed much.

In Semeling in Kedah (in the Merbok constituency), the MIC has built the most modern medical campus not only in Malaysia but maybe in the whole of Asia, Europe and the US. Please Google 'AIMST'. One minute you are driving through oil palm plantations then suddenly you turn a corner and almost run into a group of huge UFO spaceship type buildings rising out of the oil palms - this is the Asian Institute of Medical Science and Technology. Yet only the guards and gardeners at the AIMST are Indians from the surrounding rubber and oil palm estates in Semeling. Most of the Indian students at AIMST are from well to do Indian families from outside Kedah who can afford the almost RM300,000 fees at this private medical school. Increasingly now, more Chinese students are also enrolling at AIMST.

So even if all the protests work and the Barisan Nasional Gomen offers Indians unlimited entry into universities, it is the children of educated, urban, west coast Indians who are going to gain admission. The Ceylon Tamils, the urban Tamils, Punjabis, Gujeratis, Tamil Muslims, etc., will take advantage of the opportunities. The Indians from the rural areas and the estates are never going to make it, or at least not any time soon.

Dont believe me? Here is my proof. Before the NEP, before 1970, it was status quo. The playing field was 'more' level then. Or was it ? The Ceylon Tamils monopolised senior Gomen jobs, teaching jobs, doctors, lawyers, etc. The Telugus were mandors at the estates while the Tamils were the labourers. The Sindhis and Gujeratis monopolised the textiles business. The Mamaks ran the sundry shops. The Tamil Hindus were at the lowest rung of the ladder. Who really cared for them? But that was the 'level' playing field available at that time. It is by sheer effort and perseverance that many of the Tamil Hindus have come up in life to become the Uthayakumars and the Selvams of today. But these are so few, the exceptions.

So even if the BN Gomen completely opened up all the university opportunities to Indians it is the minority within the minority ie the Ceylon Tamils, the Gujeratis, the Punjabis, the Tamil Muslims, etc., who are going to take full advantage of these opportunities. The majority Indian Hindus in the estates are going to end up no better than before.

The solution seems obvious enough. The Indians must demand that Indian Hindus from the estates and the rural areas must be given super priorities at university entrance. This has been done for the past 37 years in Malaysia where poor Malay children from the rural schools and rural areas are given preferences over urban kids. So, if an Indian Hindu child from the estates has lesser grades than a child from the urban centres, the rural Indian child must be treated differently. But will the Indian community agree to this? How many of the urban-living Hindraf protesters from Sunday will agree to this idea?

The Indians must also demand for a 100% Government-funded special boarding school system where poor Indian Hindu children from the estates and rural areas are provided free schooling and board from Forms 1 till 5 and beyond. If the Malay kampongs were not conducive for Malay children to become the sons and daughters of the NEP, neither are the estates conducive to make successes out of Indian children. It is just not going to happen. There are exceptions where estate children have gone to earn PhDs but lets cut the crap, okay? We are not concerned with exceptional cases. We want to democratize opportunities for the Indian poor in the estates, the vast majority who are not exceptional but just ordinary poor people. There is a catch though. These Indian boarding schools must be taught by Malay and Chinese teachers only. The students must be weaned away from the negative, crude and pessimistic attitudes and language of the estates. Indian teachers may unwittingly delay this process. Lastly, these boarding schools for Indians must be located in largely Malay localities like in the East Coast states. They must be totally isolated from their estate environments and learn to fit into a more Malay and Malaysian environment. This way, if they have to protest again, they will not hold up pictures of Ghandi or Queen Elizabeth. They may learn to hold up posters of Sultan Muzaffar Shah, Hang Kasthuri, Hang Lekir, Tun Ali, Abdullah Munshi, and so on who were all Tamils.

As for the other poor Indian Hindus, the Indian community must demand that the Gomen provide them unlimited entry into all the vocational training institutes, especially the Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara or IKBN, plus the MARA Skills Institutes. Surprisingly, it is Nazri Aziz as Minister in charge of MARA who has opened some MARA Skills Institutes to Indians.

The Indian community must also demand Gomen-funded housing for all poor Indians, those in the estates and rural areas as well as in the urban areas. They can either rent or buy these houses from the Gomen through any number of rent-own schemes, etc. The housing must not be the cheapo, two-room, one-bathroom type pigeon holes. They must be decent-sized houses with at least three sleeping rooms and two bathrooms. Even if they cost a bit more, the housing must be comfortable. Safe and comfortable housing is important to break the poverty cycle and bring Indian Hindus into the mainstream of our society.

Indians must also demand access to the Amanah Saham investment fund. Not the Amanah Saham Nasional that is open to all races and is priced at market prices but the RM1.00 per share Amanah Saham Bumiputra where your RM1.00 per share is guaranteed by the Gomen. Then, all the Banks’ special Amanah Saham financing packages (since the RM1.00 per share is guaranteed by the Gomen) that are available to bumiputras will also be made available to Indians. This will be a major help to the Indian community.

Then here are more important but even more difficult things that the Indian community must do. They must listen to Mr SM Idris of the Consumers Association of Penang who has been campaigning all his life to abolish toddy shops on the estates. Indians and drinking must part company because it has been proven time and time again that Indians and alchohol do not mix well. Ban alchohol on the estates and the Indian community will save a lot of heartache.

There must be an end to Tamil schools in the country. Tamil is a great language. It has a long history and is a beautiful poetic language. But Tamil will keep the Hindus in the poverty cycle in Malaysia. In Malaysia, Tamil will make you poor. Believe me on this one. Ban Tamil schools and send all the Tamil kids to Gomen schools or Chinese schools.

Then, more importantly, to curb gangsterism, completely ban all Tamil movies, especially through Vanavil and other TV stations. They are absolutely brain-dead and a bad influence on already brain-dead Indian youngsters. Tamil movies are of zero cultural and moral value. Unfortunately Indian Hindus can riot (they did) to buy tickets for Rajni’s latest movie ‘Boss’. It was another useless Tamil movie that cannot win an award even at the Blind Movie Producers Awards. Endless fighting, beating, crying, killing, dancing, singing, marrying, seducing are the staple of brain-dead Tamil movies which have a strong and significant impact on the Indian population. Two Tamil movie actors, MG Ramachandran and Jayalalitha, have been elected as Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu just because of their movie acting. (No you cannot compare them to Ronald Reagan or Arnold Schwarzenegger).

Large numbers of Indians know more about Indian politics than what is happening in Malaysia. They may not know the names of Malaysian Cabinet Ministers but they will know the names of Indian Chief Ministers and other Indian politicians. This shows that, after 150 years, many of the Indians have not fully grafted their roots to the local conditions. This must change. The Indians are ready to migrate to Australia (or to the Queen of England’s kampong) and sing Waltzing Matilda in English to earn Australian citizenship. Why not remain in Malaysia and learn to speak Malay properly?

Finally, the Indian Hindus, all of them, including the RSS, the Punjabis, the Gujeratis, the Brahmins and the estate Indians, must get together and propose to the Barisan Nasional Gomen to pass laws that make it illegal and a crime to practice any kind of caste system in Malaysia. This means that all Hindu temples must be open to all Hindus, irrespective of caste. Any Hindu, and not just a Brahmin, can become a priest at the Hindu temples.

The RSS will definitely not agree to this suggestion. The RSS is the vanguard of the caste system and seeks to protect the position of the Brahmins. More than the BN Gomen, more than the conditions in the estates, more than Tamil schooling or Tamil movies, the caste system is the single most backward and degrading force that holds back all Indians. Whether Sindhis, Gujeratis, Punjabis, Tamils, Telugus, RSS, etc., they are all negatively affected by the really stupid and false caste system. Get rid of the caste system and the Indians will bloom to become a great people.

And the Indians in Malaysia definitely do not need 17,000 temples for three million Hindus. What for? Each temple needs a Brahmin priest, a commitee and it spreads more religious prejudice and anger. The same with suraus and mosques. Why do we need so many mosques. Over the past 15 years thousands of suraus and mosques have been built. Each one now has its imam, committee, etc. Each one is spreading religous prejudices. We do not need so many mosques or Hindu temples. Enough is enough. Only the RSS and PAS boys are interested in temples and mosques because they can control the temples and mosques. Temples and mosques bring in money. The more temples there are, the more money accrues to the brahmins.

But this initiative can only come from the Indians. The Malays and the Gomen will not even know where to begin on this one. They have no idea of the caste system. So the Indians cannot expect any help in this area from the Gomen. It is the Indians who must move this initiative. There will be plenty of resistance from the RSS and gang but you must all get together and kick this caste sucker into the sea. Otherwise it is all a complete waste of time. The Indians must be the inheritors of Thiru Valluvar, Bagat Singh, Ranjit Singh and Bharatiyar. They were real heroes. Ghandi was confused. Godse was a nut.

tunku : very well said Mohandass Karamchand, hope others will understand too, if only the plea for the poor, it will be a different story all together.

KUALA LUMPUR: Stay out of the controversy involving the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) – that’s the stern message for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, who rebuked Karunanidhi for interfering, said what happened here had “nothing to do with Tamil Nadu.” ”Do not meddle in our affairs. This is Malaysia, not Tamil Nadu ... lay off,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday, when asked about wire reports that Karunanidhi had written to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to take immediate and appropriate action to end the “sufferings and bad treatment” of Tamils in Malaysia. Nazri said he would not apologise for calling those who participated in the Hindraf rally on Sunday “penyangak” (thugs), stressing that the demonstrators had violated the law as no permit was issued. He explained that it was illogical to assume that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would not accept their memorandum. “I cannot accept the action of 20,000 people who want to be involved in a simple action of submitting a memorandum. They can send one person or even 10. The question is – are they really sincere in highlighting their grievances, or are they trying to create chaos? “It’s a mistake to make an apology to them. It’s not the Indian community that’s involved. Don’t be samseng (gangster),” he said, adding that the issue was discussed at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. Nazri said police would probe a petition to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, which stated that a genocide would occur here with the Indian community being forced into violence like in Sri Lanka if their “cause” was ignored. “The Attorney-General’s Chambers will study who sent the petition and charge the writer for sedition. The Hindraf memorandum is also a matter of concern because its contents are seditious,” he added. “I’m sure these matters will also create animosity between the Indians, the Malays and the Government. We will take action. These people must be responsible for their actions.” Nazri also reiterated Abdullah’s warning that the Internal Security Act would be used if the situation warranted it. “Don’t challenge the Government. They can try and hold a rally again and see what will happen,” he added. "The authorities were accused of excessive action. Look at France, whose police used tear gas and even rubber bullets when a demonstration occurred there.” Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has expressed support for most of the demands made by Hindraf. He told reporters yesterday that he turned up at the Klang Sessions Court on Saturday to give moral support to lawyers P. Uthayakumar, Waythamoorthy and V.S. Ganapathi Rao. Anwar said he had advised Hindraf not to use Article 153 of the Federal Constitution to pursue their demands as it involved the rights and privileges of the Malays and other indigenous local folk. In a separate press conference, Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang urged Nazri to apologise unconditionally for labelling the demonstrators “penyangak.”

tunku : Nazri for this issue again I salute you and we fully support you on this. Other country should not meddle or poke their bloody nose here.india has been discriminating their minorities there but we never poke our nose there, so mr cm tamil nadu BACK OFF.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 (Bernama) -- Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said police had been directed to investigate the authenticity of a document said to be a memorandum issued by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).The document addressed to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown had been posted on a popular weblog."The Cabinet meeting today discussed the document and if it is found that it was issued by P. Uthayakumar, then we will ask the Attorney-General to charge him under the Sedition Act for making seditious remarks," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here today.The document claims that Umno-led Malaysia has committed "ethnic cleansing" of the Indian minority and asks Britain to intervene and refer Malaysia to the World Court for crimes against the Indians.Nazri said the document clearly proved that Uthayakumar had incited Indians against the government and pitted the Malays and Muslims against Hindraf."Words like ethnic cleansing and threats of what happened in Sri Lanka could happen here are irresponsible. Do not challenge the government. He (Uthayakumar) must be responsible for his action."He said the Cabinet also discussed the illegal rally by Hindraf on Sunday, adding that those who participated would be prosecuted.On the DAP suggestion that he apologised for calling the demonstrators gangsters, Nazri said: "I will not apologise to Hindraf."The 20,000 people who turned up are gangsters because they defied the law. I am not saying this to the Indian community but to the gangsters who attended the illegal rally."Nazri said the attitude of the 20,000 illegal demonstrators did not reflect the true attitude of some two million Indians who loved peace and unity.

tunku : with this issue i support nazri and hope the cabinet will take stern action on hindraf(base on whatever law the country has thru the police) because of their slanders and allegations

By : ADAM JOHARI, Petaling JayaDURING the past few months, we have seen three highly publicised street demonstrations - the so-called Peace Walk by a group of lawyers at Putrajaya, the mass gathering of supporters of opposition political parties and non-governmental organisations labelling themselves as the Bersih movement and, on Sunday, the Hindraf march.While street demonstrations are nothing new in this country, the motives behind these recent events are far from clear.In the fight for independence, there were street marches by groups against the British-inspired Malayan Union administration. They were peaceful and hardly caused any damage to persons or properties. The British ultimately bowed to the legitimate wishes of the people, which were clearly but peacefully demonstrated, and withdrew the Malayan Union plan.More recently, we saw street demonstrations by the Reformasi group following Anwar Ibrahim's fall-out with Umno. Groups of his supporters took to the streets without regard to public safety and well-being. Law and order were, however, maintained by the firm stand of the authorities.Now, we have people with all sorts of grouses, real or imagined, who include professionals, members of political parties, NGOs and religious groups, taking to the streets.Whatever the motives behind these recent street rallies and whether or not they were orchestrated by any particular group, the government needs to take them for what they are.If these demonstrations are illegal, then the government should act firmly against any law breakers whether they are at the head of the demonstrations or behind the scenes.The tendency of taking to the streets for unjustifiable reasons or fanciful notions should be stopped before it becomes a way of life as seen in other countries. It is wasteful and a drain to the economy as it requires deployment of resources more needed and better utilised for other purposes.It is bad for our tourism industry and foreign investment climate. It harms commerce and disrupts people movement. It creates unnecessary anxiety among law-abiding and peace-loving citizens.We have enough functioning institutions and mechanisms that have evolved over more than 50 years to handle grouses of all groups and sections of society, based on our unique diversity, including parliament, the Conference of Rulers, the National Consultative Council and others.

KUALA LUMPUR: Sunday's demonstration by Indians has set them back and trivialised all their hard work in the past, a senior official of a Hindu organisation said yesterday."Street protests are not our way," said R. Gopal, vice-president of the Malaysian Hindu Sangam, Federal Territory."Indians in this country are basically law-abiding and would not resort to violence to solve problems."He said the demonstration organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) was disappointing as "we have lived together and enjoyed peace in Malaysia".His sentiments were echoed by a spokesman for The Malaysian Hindu Dharma Mandaram, a religious organisation, that said Indians should not resort to street protests to resolve issues as these would lead to violence.They could take their grouses to the prime minister through the proper channels, he added.The executive director of Yayasan Strategik Sosial, Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, suggested the formation of a parliamentary select committee comprising multi-racial leaders to address grievances such as education, housing and freedom of worship.He said dissatisfaction had led Indians to take to the streets.Jayasooria said the government should address the root cause and why the group claims to be marginalised."Although there are efforts by the government to eradicate poverty and to address these issues, many of its policies are not made known," he said."This can be seen as sidelining or the mishandling of grievances, which has led the group to react in such a manner. In my view, claims made by Hindraf were merely a catalyst to the stand they took on Sunday."

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- Siti Salmah Jasni, the country's first double organ transplant recipient who underwent a heart and lung transplant on Nov 2, died at the National Heart Institute (IJN) here today.Siti Salmah, 18, died at 5.40am in the Intensive Care Unit, an IJN spokesman said.Her family has taken her body to Kulai, Johor, for burial, he told Bernama.Siti Salmah, who suffered from pulmonary hypertension since five years ago, received a donor heart and lungs after a family of a woman, who was killed in an accident in Kedah, agreed to donate the vital organs.After the transplants performed by a team of IJN specialists, Siti Salmah was reported to have shown positive progress from day to day.Doctors removed the respiratory tube yesterday but had to place her on the life-support system again in the evening as the transplanted organs could not function on their own.Siti Salmah's condition became critical and her blood pressure started to drop sharply before she breathed last.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Are we still under British rules?Don't we have DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Dipertuan Agong?

Sub Inspector Chew

Cop hurt trying to control crowd

KUALA LUMPUR: A police officer was injured when he was hit on the head with stones and broken bottles during The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) street protest yesterday. The attack on Dang Wangi CID sub-inspector Chew Choon Peng has left him with two gashes on his head with 12 stitches. He is also suffering from bruises on his arms, shoulders and legs. Chew was given outpatient treatment at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital. He is recuperating at his home in Cheras. In agony: Sub-inspector Chew screaming in pain after being hurt during the protest in Kuala Lumpur.An exhausted Chew revealed that he was caught off guard by the attack. “A fellow officer was attempting to arrest a rowdy protester who was making derogatory remarks at our squad of 15 officers stationed in Jalan Hampshire. “All hell broke loose when the protestor resisted arrest and I stepped in to help. The next thing I knew there was a sharp stinging pain on my head, and then I fell down,” he said. He commended his colleagues for quickly controlling the situation and dragging him away from the 200-odd protesters who had begun hurling motorcycle helmets and bricks at the retreating team of policemen. But the violence fizzled out as quickly as it had started and the protesters, too, retreated in the opposite direction towards Jalan Semarak. Several of Chew’s colleagues were also seen limping, and others clutching their arms in pain after the short attack. They then bandaged Chew’s head as he was bleeding profusely.

Change must come from within ourselves

At the end of the day, it is in the hands of the Indians whether they want to do better for themselves and their future generations. Street protests are definitely not the answer. I DO not profess to know everything that is ailing the Indian community, but it has to be admitted that all is not well. Some will argue that the community, which makes up about 8% of the population, has a decent, even an enviable, share of the economic pie in Malaysia. But it has to be remembered that this is due to the fact that a few Indians have managed to do well in business as well as in professions such as medicine, law, engineering and accountancy. The majority of Indians in the country are not as well off as their counterparts from the other communities. But this does not mean that Indians have to take to the streets to right what they perceive to be injustices done to them in the country. Malaysia is a country that prides itself in achieving peace and harmony among the various races. As a matter of fact it is a success model of how people of various races and religions can work and live together to bring prosperity and success to themselves and the nation. The MIC, which represents Indians in the Barisan Nasional coalition, says it is aware of the issues and problems confronting the community in the country, “We believe in working from within the (government) system,” party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said, referring to the illegal gathering organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. One must understand that the MIC faces an uphill task in uplifting the standards of many in the Indian community, whose roots are linked to the rubber and oil palm estates in the country. Many Indians are either still in the estates or working as labourers and holding menial jobs to earn a living. Many, however, have also wrangled free of the clutches of poverty due to their business acumen and education excellence. These Indians live a quality of life equivalent or even higher than their counterparts in the other communities. Chances are their children and their children’s children will continue to do well in life due to the solid foundation provided by their successful parents. The challenge that faces the community now is to emulate these success stories while the task before the MIC and other Indian social and economic organisations is to continue and further intensify efforts towards this ideal. One needs to only look at the Chinese in Malaysia to realise what a good education can do. Ever insistent on quality education for their children, the community has become an economic powerhouse in Malaysia. The Chinese have achieved this despite most of them also coming to the then Malaya as labourers and odd-job workers. There must be a strong will among Malaysian Indians to emulate this and for the MIC and the Government to continue facilitating this endeavour. For a start, the 25 leading Indian associations that rightly urged Hindraf to call off its illegal march to the British High Commission should perhaps come forward to help the MIC and the Government to help uplift the standard of living of the Indian community. It would also be great for successful Indians to individually take the effort to sponsor or help the needy in the community. Such good work may already be taking place but it will not hurt to double or even triple such efforts. Parents must also ensure their children are serious about their studies and do well in school. But at the end of the day, it is in the hands of the Indians whether they want to do better for themselves and their future generations. This, I know, is easier said than done but it is achievable. Street protests like the one in Kuala Lumpur yesterday are definitely not the answer. Such protests only seek to point out problems but do not strive to provide answers or solutions. As an Indian, I believe we have the ability within ourselves to do better in life. But the push should start from us, the Indians in Malaysia, with help from our friends from the other races, the MIC and the Government.

Muhyiddin: Other races have poor too

MUAR: Umno vice-president Tan Seri Muhyiddin Yassin warned yesterday that the country could collapse if the people carry their grievances to the streets. “To me, the group just wanted to create instability and cause problems, especially to the people in Kuala Lumpur,” he said, when commenting on the Hindraf protest yesterday. Muhyiddin, who is Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister, said there were poor people among the Malays and Chinese as well and poverty was not just among the Indians. He said if Malaysia had treated the Indian community unfairly, as claimed by the organisers of the Hindraf demonstration, the group leader would not have obtained a good education and become a lawyer. In Penang, Deputy Information Minister Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye said there was no need for Hindraf to stage a street demonstration merely to hand over a memorandum to the British High Com-mission. Speaking to reporters after laun-ching a health campaign at SK Padang Tembak, he said things could be solved more effectively through dialogues and other proper channels. He said the Government and Barisan Nasional leaders were concerned and would listen to the views proposed by any quarter.

Batu Caves temple property damaged, 69 protesters held

KUALA LUMPUR: Demonstrators broke into the Batu Caves temple compound and destroyed temple property early yesterday morning, Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said. He said the crowd that had gathered there swelled from a mere 200 people just after midnight to more than 1,000 by about 2am. “The demonstrators forced open the locked gates and started breaking temple property, prompting the temple committee to lodge a police report,” he said. Minutes later several trucks of policemen, including those in plainclothes and members of the Light Strike Force unit, arrived at the temple and told the demonstrators to disperse. However, they refused and instead fled into the temple premises, when police gave them a last warning. When policemen pursued them, the demonstrators pelted and attacked them with stones and inter-locking bricks, resulting in several policemen being injured. The demonstrators also threw a Molotov cocktail at a tourist charter bus, setting in on fire. They also shattered the windscreens and windows of several passing cars by throwing stones and bricks at the vehicles. Musa said no tear gas or water cannons were used at the demonstrators during the incident. “By about 4am, 69 people had been arrested,” he added. As at press time, police were keeping a close watch on the area.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR: The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) will go ahead with its gathering on Sunday and asks to be given "one hour maximum" to hand over its petition to the British High Commission. A. Sivanesan, one of the lawyers representing the three Hindraf members who had been charged with sedition in the Klang Sessions Court on Friday, said Sunday's gathering would go ahead as planned. Sivanesan said Sunday's planned gathering outside the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur would be peaceful and orderly. "It is away from the city and 60% of the shops in that area are closed on Sunday. We are not going to be a nuisance to the people," he added. The police had said it would not issue a permit for the gathering and warned people against attending it. Sivanesan pointed out that the British High Commission had already said there would be someone at the commission to accept Hindraf's petition. "Just give us a chance. It will be an hour maximum. We will hand over the petition to the British High Commission, speak to the crowd, then we will go back," he said. The Hindraf gathering is to hand over a petition to the British Commission asking for Queen Elizabeth II to appoint a Queen's counsel to represent the Indian community in a class action suit against the British Government for bringing Indians as indentured labourers to then Malaya and exploiting them. The group has filed a US$4 trillion (RM13.5 trillion) suit at the Royal Courts of Justice in London in August claiming that the British were to blame for the marginalisation of Indians in Malaysia. The suit is equivalent to US$1mil (RM3.4mil) for every Indian in Malaysia. On Friday, three Hindraf members - lawyers P. Uthayakumar, his brother Waythamoorthy and V.S Ganapathi Rao - were charged in the Klang Sessions Court under the Sedition Act for allegedly uttering seditious words to incite hate in their speeches at a gathering in Batang Berjuntai on Nov 16.

tunku : i have read the HINDRAF petition and most of it instigates racial tense.i believe the keadilan and dap also behind them. hope police will not allow them to gather and take stern action if they do so.police has been advising all not to atend and warning are given since three days ago,so don't blame the police.stop making rallies/demonstration as the way of our life or part of our culture.the majority don't agree with it.there are other ways to channel your dissatisfaction.

Friday, November 23, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government will have to fork out a total of RM380mil to compensate toll concessionaire companies next year if the Cabinet decides not to increase toll rates. Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said although the Cabinet had not decided on the issue, the ministry had worked out the amount of compensation to toll concessionaire companies. Except for the Penang Bridge where the toll rate is scheduled to be revised on Oct 1, seven expressway operators are due to review their rates on Jan 1. The Government would have to compensate Ampang-Ulu Kelang Elevated Highways RM28mil, North-South Expressway (central region) RM18mil, Seremban-Port Dickson RM178mil, Kulim-Butterworth Expressway RM10mil, Second Link to Singapore RM6mil, Sprint Highway RM34mil, NKVE RM9mil and Penang Bridge RM22mil, he said. The Government, having increased toll charges of the Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong (LDP) from RM1 to RM1.60 instead of RM2.10, would have to pay Litrak, the operator of LDP, RM75mil. Samy Vellu said this in his reply to Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) while answering queries at the committee stage of the Supply Bill 2008. He added that the Government was still finding ways to reduce the toll charges. Replying to Salahuddin Ayob (PAS-Kubang Kerian), Samy Vellu said the cost to build the palace complex to replace Istana Negara was RM450mil with another RM200mil to build the quarters, security features, multi-level underground car park and others. He said the cost of the new palace complex was not RM1bil as stated by Salahuddin. “The Government has decided that the cost to build the new palace complex be capped at RM650mil and it cannot be more than that,” he added. tunku : why don't government revoke the contract with the toll operators? just extend their concessionaires period.next year oil price expected to increase, toll price increases , everything increases, how would one survive(the lower income group)? pak lah again will say :rakyat perlu berjimat" while the leaders enjoying living in luxury.do we really need a new istana? why don't the putrajaya Istana Melawati be made as official resident of the YDP Agong?

Thursday, November 22, 2007

SEPANG: AirAsia will not raise its fuel surcharge despite the rise in world crude oil prices, which topped US$99 (RM335) a barrel Wednesday. “No, not at the moment. One must build a sustainable business, at whatever the cost of oil is,” AirAsia Bhd founder and group chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes told reporters at the AirAsia Academy after two signing ceremonies. He added that heavier planes required more fuel, “but it’s not fair to put a fuel surcharge on someone who’s not carrying a bag, as opposed to someone who’s carrying six bags. “We like to investigate different ways of doing different things,” he said. Earlier, AirAsia signed an agreement with Aviation Australia to have its existing technicians trained in aircraft maintenance, fulfilling the requirements by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). AirAsia X, the group's long-haul budget carrier, also signed a five-year agreement with Tourism Queensland to promote Gold Coast, Australia. AirAsia X chief executive officer Azran Osman Rani said currently there were four flights a week to Gold Coast. Its first flight there was on Nov 2. “We plan to increase it to a flight a day, as more aircraft become available,” Azran said. Also present at the event was Australian Tourism, Regional Development and Industry Minister Desley Boyle, Tourism Queensland chairman Don Morris, and Aviation Australia chief executive officer Paul Bredereck. tunku : that's airasia way of making money.first they introduce the express boarding and RM10 - RM15 are charged. Now they wants to charge for the luggage and telling monkey stories about the fuel surcharge thing.Just imagine if they charge RM5 per kilo (currently RM8 for extra luggage).A normal weight for a person's bag would be 10-15 kilos, that means already RM50 - RM75.what about hand luggage? if they will impose this then they should not charge the passengers the fuel surcharge which currently they are charging.i just wish that airasia would have a competitor rather than them monopolizing the LCC business alone.after all airasia is given a lot of privilege because of kalimullah and you know he is a nominee of ...... Hope Firefly will fly to all airasia domestic destinations so that we will see healthy competition.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Malaysia's de facto opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, called on the country's disparate opposition on Tuesday to forge a loose electoral pact ahead of a snap election he predicted would take place next month.Opposition parties with different racial support bases could find common ground on economic and democratic reforms, rallying cries for a big anti-government protest earlier this month, Anwar told reporters at a business forum in neighbouring Thailand."This is a challenging task because the relations between the PAS and the DAP are not too good," Anwar said, referring to Islamic party PAS and Chinese-based Democratic Action Party.But Anwar said PAS, DAP and his Parti Keadilan had the shared goals of free elections, an independent judiciary and review of economic policy when they took part in the Nov. 10 rally, which ended in a police crackdown and at least a dozen arrested."If we can agree on this minimum programme -- political, economic -- then we can move on. I am sure we can get one opposition versus one UMNO-ordering Barisan Nasional," he said of the coalition government that has ruled Malaysia since 1957.The coalition, made up of 14 parties including Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's UMNO, won a record number of seats in 2004 polls but analysts say it could be tough for the alliance to match that victory in the next election technically due in 2009.On Monday Malaysia's electoral chief reignited speculation about an early election, saying the country would go to the polls before long. Abdullah is widely expected to dissolve parliament and call fresh polls by early next year.Anwar said the most likely date for the elections would be December, but he did not expect a free and fair poll. "Just one week of campaign, I don't call it an election. I call it UMNO-controlled elections, no access to the media, not a general election," the former deputy prime minister said.tunku : anwar the liar has spoken again to foreign media,this time in bangkok. well anwar in order to fight BN you opposition people should have enough seats to rule Malaysia.not a single opposition party in malaysia can win enough seats to govern this country. therefore opposition parties should form a party(officially and registered) like BN to fight BN but this is something impossible because their objective and agenda are different from each other. they will never be able to work with each other except when election time.Barisan Alternatif is nothing,it's nor registered. so stop dreaming that you will ever wins enough seats to rule.anwar said "just one week of campaign", but you have known that election is coming soon, so you have ample of time to campaign and opposition have been campaigning for election since early 2007.Other thing anwar mentioned is that it's umno controlled elections,no access to the media, i will repeat again the thing i always said, you did the same thing when you were the DPM, when you were in power,SO WHY BARK NOW?

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- An independent body, Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (Mafrel), will conduct overall monitoring of the coming general election to ensure good election practices.Its chairman Abdul Malek Hussin said a monitoring task force had been set up to monitor the general election in four regions -- Northern, East Coast, Central and South, and Sabah and Sarawak."The Election Commission (EC) is supportive of our intention to monitor the next general election," he said at a joint press conference with EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman here today.He had earlier submitted the final reports to the EC on Mafrel's monitoring of three by-elections, namely in Batu Talam, Machap and Ijok.Abdul Malek said Mafrel held a dialogue with the EC today to present its views and suggestions to enhance the country's election practices through such reports."We've got official recognition from the EC on the importance of observing and monitoring the general election in a free and non-partisan way."Abdul Malek said some of the weaknesses mentioned in the reports had already been rectified, in the process of being rectified or could be rectified.Abdul Rashid, meanwhile, said that some of Mafrel's suggestions could not be done by the EC as it was bound by law, for instance, on the electoral roll."It cannot be changed at will even if felt suitable as it has to comply with the requirements of the Federal Constitution. It can only be amended through the legal process," he said.On Mafrel's suggestion to review the campaign period which was said to be short, Abdul Rashid said this did not require the law to be amended and the EC would look into the matter.

tunku : i hope the opposition will be satisfied with this and i hope they will have representative in the Mafrel committee too.Let fight clean and fair.

Monday, November 19, 2007

SHAH ALAM: Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo will not stop Hulu Selangor District Council (MDHS) president Tukiman Nail if the officer decides to opt out from service over the broom award issue. "I leave the decision to Tukiman. I do not want officers who changed their statements according to their moods," said Dr Khir. He claimed that Tukiman had not objected when the broom award was raised during the joint meeting with head of councils last year. "We even informed the recipients in January that they had been picked. Tukiman did not raise any objections at either time,” he told reporters after launching the Wanita Barisan Nasional elections machinery here Sunday. The Mentri Besar was commenting on a report in a local Malay daily quoting Tukiman as saying he would opt for early retirement or the Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS), rather than face the humiliation of receiving the Broom Award in return for his 28 years in public service. Dr Khir said there was no reason for Tukiman to take the matter personally. He added it was aimed at the entire department failing to meet the minimum standard set by the state government. “I do not understand why the state government is being blamed now. We had earlier asked departments with under-performing staff to send these employees for training, so that the department could function up to mark, but they claimed all their staff members worked well,” he said. Dr Khir said the state government had a training centre in Sabak Bernam and had issued a list of employees who should attend training - but they were never sent because their department heads felt there was no need. "According to our statistics about 70% of the problems faced by people in Selangor are linked to local authorities. “What am I to do after knowing about this? Just keep mum or take the necessary action to correct it?” he said.

tunku : what Khir Toyo should do is take back the broom he presented to tukiman earlier and ask him to quit. there is no need to have people like that leading a local council which changes their statement according to their mood.to Khir Toyo, keep up cleaning the local authorities in selangor and i think you are doing good.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 (Bernama) -- Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was discharged from the National Heart Institute (IJN) on Oct 21, is getting better, according to his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.She said her husband still had to undergo intensive rehabilitation at home and have his scheduled check-up at IJN every fortnight."My husband, Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God), is getting better and is now back in his office."When he's at home, he needs to have enough rest, and with regards to his diet, he has no `pantang' (taboo)," she told reporters after closing the conference on Women's Health and Asian Traditional Medicine (WHAT) here today.Dr Siti Hasmah said she was touched and thanked all the people who showed concern for her husband's health and for their support and prayers.Dr Mahathir underwent a second coronary bypass operation on Sept 4 and a wound debridement surgery on Sept 22 before being allowed to go home on Oct 21.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 (Bernama) -- Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today hit out at nations trying to wage war against Iran despite the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report that there is no evidence of Iran embarking on any nuclear weapons programme.He said despite the IAEA statement, the war-mongering nations were once again claiming otherwise and demanding this to be an excuse for war."They lied regarding the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq. Clearly, they are lying now. Once again they want an excuse for going against another oil-rich country which is also a Muslim country."Israel has now called for the dismissal of ElBaradei (IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei) for reporting the truth about the current state of affairs in Iran. Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown has issued a statement that Britain would support and lead in the war against Iran."President Bush (US President George W. Bush) and Vice-President Dick Cheney are equally, if not more belligerent, in calling for war against Iran," Dr Mahathir said in a statement.He said that after the devastation in Iraq where more than a million Iraqi citizens had been killed, millions displaced in neighbouring countries and the barbarity committed in Abu Gharib and Guantanamo Bay, one would have thought that war as an option to resolve international disputes would be rejected except as a last resort or in self-defence."The war drums are beating loudly again and young men and women are being trained to wage another murderous war, this time against a hapless country, Iran. The alleged crime, for which the world's citizens are called in to support is that Iran is producing nuclear weapons."It is uncivilised. Is the world going back to the age when disputes for honour were settled by duels in which the more proficient with weapons always have the upper hand?"Are we to condone the mass killing of innocent civilians because of the folly and bloodlust of their government leaders as was the case in World War I and World War II?"Let us not repeat a century of killings and mass murder by WMDs with another century of mass murder and killing of the innocent. Peace and peaceful resolutions of disputes must prevail."I therefore call upon all world leaders, secular and religious, to join me in this global effort to condemn wars and to promote the peaceful resolution of the present US/Iran dispute and all future international disputes," Dr Mahathir said.

Friday, November 16, 2007

MELAKA, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said he knows when the next general election will be held but added that he could not reveal the date."I can't lie to you that I don't know when the next general election will be held. I can't tell you when but I have given enough reminders to all to prepare for the polls," he said.Admitting that the election fever was on the rise, he asked all quarters to gear up for the 12th general election as the EC did not want any party to be lagging in their preparation."As the EC is making the preparations, political parties must also get their machinery ready," he told reporters after attending a briefing for Melaka returning officers, assistant returning officers and election campaign enforcement teams, here. Thursday's briefing is the first in a series of briefings to be held nationwide.Abdul Rashid said he believed that the general election would be held shortly after the nationwide briefings ended in one and a half months. Commenting on the criticisms levelled at the EC, he said elections in the country were free and fair and transparent, in accordance with existing laws.Abdul Rashid, who has served as EC secretary before, said: "We are using the same laws which had been in existence (for a long time) and if certain quarters are not happy with that, they shouldn't blame the EC."They have to convince the authorities to review the laws."He said the EC was prepared to engage in a dialogue with those who accused the commission of not being fair, independent and transparent.

tunku : so it means that election will be held after dec 07 and most probably before april 08. so there's ample time for all to start their machineries and start campaigning from now. i hope permits will be given to all to conduct "ceramah" in appropriate places and all parties should make sure there is no untoward incidents happen during their gatherings.Let us fight the true democracy way and no cheating please, may it be the government or the opposition.EC should really be transparent.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor Mentri Besar's awarding of brooms to under-performing local councils and state agencies to remind them to buck up has drawn flak from many quarters. Many find his “broom bouquet” for poor performance in poor taste and crude. The “broom award” was even brought up in Parliament on Tuesday. The civil service umbrella union Cuepacs said it received calls from its members from other states complaining about the broom. Cuepacs president Omar Osman said members asked if there was indeed no other way for Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo to express his dissatisfaction. On Monday, at an excellence awards ceremony Dr Khir gave a broom each to the Hulu Selangor District Council and Hulu Selangor Land Office for failing to collect assessment for 2006 above the stipulated 50% mark. Dr Khir also warned agencies that failed to hit the target for 2007 to expect the same “present”. “We can understand the feelings of the civil servants attending the ceremony. The brooms were given openly, without even trying to disguise these by wrapping them,” said Omar on Tuesday. “We cannot accept such an act. Although we support the Mentri Besar’s intention for all civil servants to improve their performance, there is a better way of doing it, such as giving the agencies a low star ranking or a reminder letter.” As civil servants who form the backbone of the Selangor state government were loyal staff, they did not deserve such a treatment in public, Omar said. Public Services director-general Tan Sri Ismail Adam declined to comment, except to say that “there are many ways of telling civil servants how to do their jobs.” “You can tell them directly or issue them a directive. There are many ways to ‘skin a cat’ but you have to find one that is appropriate,” he said. In Parliament, Datuk Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Haji Omar (BN-Larut) questioned whether presenting a broom, which is linked to bad luck, was appropriate as an award. “There must be other ways to motivate the staff. Certainly not a broom,” said Raja Ahmad. Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun, in her reply, also said that she did not agree with giving out brooms. “But I am sure the Selangor Mentri Besar, who is intelligent, would know its suitability,” said Azizah (BN-Beaufort). In Penang, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said that when a person had done something good, he should be praised in public but if he has failed to perform, then he should be rebuked in

tunku : i believe this is the best method used by Khir Toyo to upgrade the performance of the government agencies. this method should be used by all the government agencies and government leaders,member of parliaments and the adun. those who are not performing should hang the broom given to them in their office.take it as a challenge or motivation to strive harder. after all its for the benefit of everyone.Good job Khir Toyo. those who complaints about the award is actually not performing well and afraid to receive the broom.

KUCHING: The police have not received any information on plans to hold street demonstrations in the State such as the one organised by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.Speaking to the media at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) in Jalan Puncak Borneo yesterday, Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said the police would nevertheless continue to monitor the situation, and take appropriate action should such a protest take place.“I don’t know if they (Bersih) are planning anything for Sarawak. I have not received any information but the police will be monitoring the situation,” said Musa, who arrived here yesterday for a working visit.On the coalition’s plans to hold a street protest in Terengganu, Musa reiterated that the organisers did not have a permit to do so, and the police would take stern action against the participants.“ I have been told they are going ahead with the protest without permit. It is against the law and we will take stern action,” he said.On Sunday, thousands of people took part in a street rally organised by Bersih, which also saw opposition chief Lim Kit Siang, Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, PKR president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, handing over a memorandum on the country’s election process to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.Musa also refuted claims by television station, Al-Jazeera, that police resorted to using violence to quell protesters at Saturday’s rally, calling the report as ‘untrue’ and mere ‘propaganda’.“Suhakam was there and saw for themselves that we did not use any violence, but rather acted in a professional manner,” said the IGP.“They (Al-Jazeera) just wanted to smear the name of the country.”Musa was speaking to reporters after attending a closed-door meeting with senior police officers at Pulapol, during which he was briefed on training methods for recruits at the camp.Musa said he also made several suggestions on ways to improve the training methods, and instructed that police officers be given ‘in-service training’ to improve their performance.State Police Commissioner Datuk Abdul Rahman Hussin, State CID chief Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah and General Operations Force Brigade Commander Law Hong Soon were among those present at the function.

tunku : this is the disease which carried by the opposition group, every time the loses or one group give statement against their wish, that group will be label as liars,corrupted and demand for their resignation. all these while suhakam was good because it had supported opposition many time on certain issue but when it comes to the illegal gathering where Siva was there to witness it talk the truth, they can't accept it.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

JOHOR BAHARU, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- There is a need for better connectivity via land and sea between Singapore and the Iskandar Development Region (IDR) as investments into the economic corridor start pouring in.Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said ministers from both sides had agreed that there should be more efficient transportation linkages in place between the IDR and Singapore to enable both parties to reap mutual benefits.Abdul Ghani attended the joint ministerial committee meeting at the Pulai Springs Resort near here recently.Building a rail link that connects to Singapore's Mass Rapid Transport system remains crucial, he said today."But since our very own light rail transit system for the city of Johor Baharu is still in the planning stages, maybe we can look at other modes of transportation first."For example, we're exploring the idea of using ferries. Right now there are ferry services linking Singapore and Tanjung Belungkur and Pengelih."But we're looking at building ferry terminals in Nusajaya and Danga Bay complete with immigration checkpoints for easier access," said Abdul Ghani.He also said that work on the coastal highway linking the city and Nusajaya would start by March next year."The contract has been awarded by the federal goverment to South Johor Investment Corporation and a budget of RM2 billion has been approved under the Ninth Malaysia Plan which also covers part of IDR development," Abdul Ghani said.

tunku : build the bridge with all other transportation needs like train etc. why wasting money building the ferry terminals.the distance is too short.

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Tolerating intolerance

Intolerance is rampant at every level and in all age groups of the society, but it is more visible amongst the younger generation as our youth can be seen losing their altitude of patience over petty issues. We seriously need to think over it as what we are going to inculcate in them, which may help them seek success in future. Will it be tolerance or intolerance?

By Samra Arshad

International Conference "Expose War Crimes – Criminalise War"

“Wars increasingly involve the killings of innocent people and are therefore, abhorrent and criminal. Killings in war are as criminal as the killings within societies in times of peace. Since killings in peace time are subject to the domestic law of crime, killings in war must likewise be subject to the international law of crimes. This should be so irrespective of whether these killings in war are authorised or permitted by domestic laws.”